When ex-sheriff and watermelon farmer Bud Shumway and his wife, Wilma Jean, head to Montana to pursue Bud's dream of learning to fly-fish, Bud never guesses he'll soon be deeply involved in trying to solve the mystery of a missing lunch lady he's never met, as well as trying to stay off the radar of a strange religious cult that believes in immortality while plotting to kill people.
Set in the magnificent Absaroka Mountains near Yellowstone National Park, this mystery will have you mystified and on edge as you follow Bud as he witnesses a grizzly bear resurrection, meets a young investigative reporter with a knack for following the wrong person, and dodges a shady John Deere salesman and religious guru, who Bud knows are up to no good.
All this, along with a combine demolition derby, meeting a Crow medicine woman with a cryptic message, losing his two beloved dogs, finding a fish made of stone, exploring old underground Prohibition tunnels, wrecking model railroads, and worrying about the Yellowstone supervolcano exploding, and you'll soon see why Bud wishes he'd never set foot in the Beartooth Cafe.
And of course, back home in Green River, Sheriff Howie tries to mediate ongoing feuds between Old Man Green and Junkyard Goldie, hoping Bud can keep them from killing each other, even though he's a thousand miles away.
In any case, you'll find out what really happened to the lunch lady, and it might not be what you think.